End The Illegal Dog Meat Trade To Vietnam

Mahatma Gandhi once said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated".

He knew the value of animals and how much they enrich our lives. Dogs of all sizes are people’s pets and companions. They are entrusted to us to care for them. When something happens to our pets it is devastating because they are family members. It is a heartbreaking reality that pets of innocent citizens are targeted by the illegal dog meat trade. See the BBC News article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17381607. It is a well-known fact that family pets have been stolen from the good people of Thailand for years. Grieving Thai citizens are helpless victims and have nowhere to turn to get their pets back home. There is little to no government intervention to stop these criminals from taking dogs from homes where they once were loved and cared for. These dogs are mercilessly crammed in cages and taken on a journey that leads to their suffering and torturous death. Families usually never see their pets again and the government has been amiss in failing to stop this heartless act against Thailand’s people. Government protection is crucial in any society and if good people are not given this protection, they learn not to trust in their government.

It is not a hopeless situation. In the past few years there have been some heroic efforts to rescue the dogs en route to slaughterhouses by the Thai navy and other Thai officials, but there need to be more of these raids and more arrests.

Together we call upon the government of Thailand to make a strong effort toward bringing home stolen pets. With the involvement of many we can be a strong and forceful voice against this illegal and heartless criminal act, there can be an end to the dog meat trade.